The Meaning Of
by Shimiki
Summary: AU, half songfic, MAJOR angst, possible chara death, Christmas-based. (lame, I know) Anyways, Kaiba is reminded of the true meaning of Christmas, (kinda) while a young Jounouchi tries to get a present for his sick sister, Shizuka...
1. Tears and Blood

Shimiki: Hullo, minna. This is a songfic about Jounouchi, Shizuka, and a little bit of Kaiba. There _is_ going to be major angst, possibly character death (I'm freewriting; bear with me) and general all-around sadness. (or at least it will try to be) The song is…uh, I dunno. *sweatdrops* Please tell me if _you_ do.

                Anyways, this is a Christmas-type songfic, and AU. My muses (Tea and Aravan, mainly) smashed this into my brain and forced me to spit it out. It was late, I was getting over a bout of depression, and this song came over the radio. I liked it and taped it, and then got the words from listening, so if any of them are wrong, tell me. I'm seeing Jou and Shizuka as about Mokuba's age in this, and Kaiba how I usually see him: eighteen, twenty, twenty-one or so. Yes, I _know_ his real age, but that's how I view him. So there.

                There is also a tad bit of religion in the song, so don't slaughter me for it if you're one of those no-religion-but-my-religion-is-right people. I didn't write the song; I just wrote the fic, and the song fit with the fic, so…

                Also, because it's not mine and I can't credit the original writer/singer, I'm not going to fix the song so that it matches the story word-for-word. Just think of it as sister in place of momma, and his dad's dead. But I won't bore you to death by repeating the chorus over and over.

                Right, to the story!

                **The Meaning Of**

He hated Christmas shopping. He truly did. It always took too long because of people rushing to 

buy gifts before the store ran out. And it was Christmas Eve, too, making it worse. 

Seto Kaiba sighed, shifting uncomfortably as he waited in the long line in the express lane, 

Mokuba's gift resting absently against his hip. 

/Express. Right./ he thought sardonically, looking up as he finally reached the checkout—or, almost. There was still a little boy with a mop of unruly blonde hair waiting agitatedly in front of him. Kaiba frowned a little, studying the boy curiously.

He was around Mokuba's age and height, which was twelve, and coming up to around Kaiba's waist. His blue and white clothing was dirty and worn, matching with his ragged hair. Bright blue eyes looked up, shining brightly with that childlike innocence Kaiba enjoyed whenever he looked at Mokuba. In his hands was a pair of pale pink, white and blue shoes; little girl's shoes.

_It was almost Christmastime and there I stood in another line,_

_Trying to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood._

_Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiously, _

_Pacing around like little boys do, and in his hands he held_

_A pair of shoes._

_And his clothes were worn and old,_

_He was dirty from head to toe,_

_But when it came his time to pay, _

_I couldn't believe what I heard him say:_

The boy put the shoes onto the counter, standing on tiptoe to see. He looked at the perplexed cashier with a childlike smile, putting a small pile of bills and change on the counter.

"I want to buy these shoes for my little sister, please. But could you please hurry? She's really sick, and I want her to look pretty tonight just in case…" the boy trailed off, shrugging with a sad look on his face.

The cahier smiled gently, charmed over, and counted the money as the little boy fidgeted. Kaiba saw immediately when the cashier's face fell and he looked at the little boy.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, "but this isn't enough."

The boy blinked, and his face fell in consternation as he began digging through his pockets frantically. Kaiba saw tears well in his eyes as he looked back up, his heart ripping to pieces. He couldn't help but imagine Mokuba looking that sad, and that made it worse.

"Shizuka always made Christmas happy," he murmured, sniffling and taking the shoes back from the cashier, head bowed. "She always made it so I could be happy, even if she wasn't…"

_"Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my momma, please. _

_Its Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size. _

_Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time,_

_You see she's been sick for quite a while,_

_and I know these shoes would make her smile._

_And I want her to look beautiful if momma_

_Meets Jesus tonight."_

He kinda panicked for what seemed like years till the 

_cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here."_

_He searched his pockets frantically, and then he turned_

_and he looked at me. He said,_

_"Momma made Christmas good at our house, most years_

_she just did without. Tell me sir, what am I gonna do?_

_Somehow I've gotta buy her these Christmas shoes."_

                Forcing back tears, Kaiba set Mokuba's present down and stepped forward, pulling out his wallet. He stopped the boy and put down a twenty, nodding to the cashier, silent understanding passing between them. The little boy looked up at him in confusion.

                "Give your sister the shoes," he said gently, smiling.

                The little boy stared at him, then completely surprised Kaiba by hugging him around the waist.

                "Thank you, sir!" he said excitedly. "Shizuka is going to love them!" 

                Kaiba smiled as the little boy dashed out of the store with the shoes in a small bag, a huge grin plastered across his face. 

_So I laid the money down, I just had to help him out _

_and I'll never forget the look on his face when he said _

_"Momma's gonna look so great!"_

_I knew I caught a glimpse of Heaven's love as _

_he thanked me and ran out. I knew that god had _

_sent that little boy to remind me what Christmas is all about._

_"Sir I wanna buy these shoes for my momma, please. _

_Its Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size. _

_Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time,_

_You see she's been sick for quite a while,_

_and I know these shoes would make her smile._

_And I want her to look beautiful if momma_

_Meets Jesus tonight._

_I want her to look beautiful, if momma meets Jesus tonight."_

Shimiki: Okies. That wasn't really sad. I know. That's the end of the song…but the fic's continuing. You don't _really_ think I'd let it end there? ^_~

                Leaving Kaiba's third person POV and switching to Jounouchi's. Gets sad now…I hope…

                Jounouchi dashed down the street, a grin on his face still, ignoring the darkened sky and rain starting to splatter down. He couldn't believe it! The nice man had paid for the shoes for Shizuka!

                Putting his head down, the blonde boy went faster, trying to get back to Shizuka as soon as possible. He didn't want to leave her alone; she was really sick, and hated to be by herself. 

                They lived in the shabbier parts of town, in an abandoned warehouse. Jou had helped them get by doing odd jobs for people around. But it was barely enough, and he had a hard time just providing food, much less a present for his little sister. 

                But he had gotten the shoes he had seen her looking at a few weeks ago. Jou knew she had wanted them badly, but didn't want him to see. 

                But the last Jou had seen Shizuka, before he had gone to the store, she had been pale and was coughing blood. Of course, she had tried to hide it, as usual, but he wasn't fooled.

                Abruptly the boy slammed into something big and fleshy, tumbling backwards and the bag containing Shizuka's shoes flying into the shadows of a nearby building. He looked up, rubbing a bruised shoulder, to see the four neighborhood bullies standing over him, leering. Jou winced as he remembered how he had taunted them earlier when they had gotten in trouble for trying to steal. Obviously they were out for revenge.

                "Well, well, if it isn't the little puppy dog," Ushio, the leader, said. "Where're you running off to this time, puppy?"

                Jou cast a glance nervously at the bag; none of the bullies noticed it yet, and he didn't want them to get Shizuka's present. He looked up at Ushio pitifully, hair dripping wet from the rain, now coming down harder.

                "I was going home to Shizuka," Jou mumbled, eyes to the ground. "She's sick."

                "That's too bad," Ushio sneered, obviously not meaning it. He grabbed Jou by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. 

                "We saw you laughing earlier today, puppy," he growled, punching Jou in the stomach, making him double over. "And we can't say we're pleased."

                Jou was silent, still gasping for breath at the first blow. Then he felt something connect with his side, and he was tossed to the ground. He rolled over to see another of the bullies standing over him with a wooden baseball bat. 

                And then the beating began. 

                Jou cried out as they fell over him like rabid dogs, punching and kicking and—in one case—hitting him with the bat. But this time was different from all the others. This time he needed to get to Shizuka. 

                Gritting his teeth against the blinding pain, Jou got to his knees, and then dove at Ushio, pummeling the startled bully with his fists. Ushio bellowed in pain and shoved him off, into the arms of the other bullies. Jou struggled, trying to yank his arms free.

                Ushio got to his feet, nursing a cut lip and fury in his eyes. He growled and pulled out something shiny from under his shirt. A knife. Jou's eyes widened as Ushio advanced on him, Breaking completely free from the two holding him and dodging around one, trying to get away.

                Trying.

                Jou screamed as a sharp line of fire razed across his side and jerked violently, falling to his knees. He grasped his side, feeling something wet and sticky coating his hand, blending with the rain, as he pressed his hand to the large gash in his side. 

                Ushio kicked him, right at the hand that was covering his wound, making Jou cry out again. 

                Jou looked up, then jumped up, ignoring the pain for a few moments, and began punching the bully again. And Ushio retaliated by stabbing the knife in his side.

                Jou gasped as red filled his vision, stumbling and leaning heavily against the wall of the building, the knife protruding from his side. He heard Ushio gasp, and blinked, focusing his eyes enough to see the bully staring at him in shock.

                "I-I didn't mean…I only…" with that, Ushio turned and fled, taking his bullies with him. Jou barely noticed. 

                The blonde boy limped over to the bag and picked it up, almost fainting as pain slashed through him from the knife. But he dared not remove it; yet he dared not leave it in. So he left it. 

                Jou looked in the bag, relieved to find the shoes still there, and began limping back to the warehouse he lived in, only a short distance from there.

                "Shizuka?" Jou called weakly as he staggered into the near-empty warehouse, vacant except for a few large slabs of wood and steel, near the back. A soft glow came from that direction.

                "I'm here, big brother," Shizuka's voice came back softly. 

                Jou made his way over to their makeshift 'room,' where Shizuka lay on a long wood board, covered in a few ragged blankets. The glow had come from a metal container that had a fire burning in it, the fuel a few newspapers and some broken-off pieces of wood. 

                "Jou?" Shizuka asked, sitting up feebly. Her auburn hair was tangled, and sweat glistened on her forehead. Then her beautiful blue eyes widened as she saw the knife sticking out of Jou's side.

                "Jou! What happened?" she gasped as the blonde limped over to her, keeping the bag behind his back. She tried to get up to help him, but only fell back weakly.

                "Ushio and his gang caught up with me," Jou explained, whimpering a bit as the knife moved in his side. He felt horribly drained and light-headed. 

                Jou dropped to his knees ungraciously beside his sister, and she reached out to touch the knife. He shook his head. 

                "No. I think it'll hurt to much coming out."

                Shizuka nodded, then looked at him in concern, tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but Jou silenced her, holding out the bag.

                "Merry Christmas, Shizuka," he said, smiling. 

                Shizuka pulled out the pink, blue and white shoes, and her eyes widened. She looked at Jou, who's eyes were drooping, and managed to lean over and hug him, mindful of the knife. 

                "Thank you, Jou," she whispered. Pulling back, she drew up her knees and pulled the shoes onto her feet, which had been bare before. Then she looked back at him and smiled, but tears were still in her eyes.

                Abruptly Shizuka let out a racking cough, her slim frame shaking violently. Jou reached out to support her as she doubled over in pain, blood staining her hands, which covered her mouth tightly. 

                When the fit had subsided, Jou helped Shizuka lay down, crawling over her and laying down beside her, on his side that didn't have a knife sticking in it. Shizuka pressed against his chest, seeking heat, as cold wind rushed through the warehouse, bringing rain with it. 

                Eventually Shizuka drifted off to sleep, pleasant dreams wafting through her mind. Soonafter Jou fell asleep as well, the blonde dizzy from blood loss, though he didn't know it.

                Neither of them woke up.

Shimiki: All right, peeps, tell me what you think, pwease? And don't flame if you aren't constructive in your criticism…no point otherwise.

Entreri: was that supposed to be sad?

Shimiki: *glares* It was_ supposed _to be_,_ but you wouldn't care if an innocent boy and his sister died on Christmas, would you? 

Entreri: *shrugs* No, not really.

Shimiki: Evil baka…

Anyways, please review and tell me what you think!


	2. Epilogue

Shimiki: Well, I asked around on another board I hang out at, and a _very_ nice person (Kijuna) thought my idea for an epilogue was good. So, I'm posting it. 

This chap contains: very bad fluff. I suck at writing fluff. Also, it's short, 'cause it's an epilogue (duh).

Thankies to all the cool peeps who reviewed last chappie! Not a single flame! *sighs happily, then gets back to writing*

**The Meaning Of: Epilogue**

Kaiba yawned as he dragged himself out of bed, slogging with half-lidded eyes to the kitchen. He methodically picked up the newspaper lying on the table and put some coffee on. Then the sound of thumps coming down the stairs made him look up.

Mokuba, his little brother, came barreling into the kitchen, his black hair disorderly and still wearing baby blue pajamas with little BEWDs embroidered on them. His eyes were bright as he bounced to his brother's side, hugging him around the waist. 

"Merry Christmas niisama!" he said exultantly. "When can we open presents?"

Kaiba grinned at him in mock-sternness. "Eat first, young man."

Mokuba pouted but complied, going to the cupboard and scrummaging around as Kaiba looked through the paper. One headline in particular caught his eye.

_Two children found dead in abandoned warehouse…_

Kaiba looked at the picture of the two kids, and his eyes widened. One was a little girl, pale and thin but smiling happily, and the other was a little boy. _The_ little boy. The one from last night, at the store. 

Tears filled Kaiba's eyes as he continued to read, not hearing as Mokuba let out an exclamation of triumph as he found what he wanted to eat.

_boy, had a knife in his side…_ _little girl…evidence of illness…killers of boy unknown…_

"Niisama?"

Kaiba looked up, still teary-eyed, to see Mokuba looking at him in concern. 

"Are you all right, niisama?" he asked, climbing into his brother's lap to get a closer look. "You're crying."

Kaiba shook his head and hugged Mokuba tightly, startling his little brother somewhat. 

"Mokuba, promise me that you'll always remember that I'm here for you, okay?" he said softly.

Mokuba tilted his head to the side, frowning a little in confusion. "Of course I'll remember, Seto. You've always been there for me. That's why you're the best!"

Mokuba demonstrated his point by hugging Kaiba back tightly, smiling. Kaiba felt a pang in his heart as he saw the carefree innocence of a child, just like last night in the little boy's eyes. He knew that the boy would never be able to have that same happy twinkle in his eyes ever again. 

But Kaiba managed a smile at his brother's absolute faith and love for him (don't even THINK about it being yaoi, people, or I'll strangle you), wrapping his arms around his brother and drawing him close.


End file.
